ON THE AIRWAVES — By Lakshmi Kothaneth — When do we reflect? We need that space to reflect. It need not be a physical space. However, it is a space that you could create whenever you want. On the other hand, people around us may not realise when you move into that space, at the same time they may not understand you being in your space. They might think you are spaced out. In actuality you are having your own moment. That is why people look for quiet precious moments.
On Radio Sultanate of Oman, 90.4 FM, we have one whole one hour to do just that — to reflect. Every Monday morning from 5 pm to 6 pm we have the programme Reflections co-hosted by His Highness Sayyid Faisal bin Turqi al Said and me. The best part is we reflect with the audience as they participate by reflecting on air talking about their perspectives on our chosen topics.
We have covered quite a few topics in our first five editions of Reflections but what got the maximum participation from the listeners was the topic on Work Space. How important is our work space?
It seems it touched a chord with most of our participants. For some it brought back some painful memories while others had something important to share with the rest of the listeners, some lessons that they learnt in their own life. The discussions took us to organisations that claim to have a mission and a vision, but only when you become part of it do you realise that the organisation is in no way related or connected to the statements they claim to use as their objective. This issue was brought up by one of our listeners. He had learnt the hard way. The lack of communication and understanding in this gentleman’s office had made him very depressed and unproductive to the point that he resigned one day. After a few months of hardship he came across an opportunity that was perfect for him and now he is slowly regaining his confidence.
That is how important the work space is. We spend most of our time at the work space. If we are not just looking for a salary at the end of the month, it can be a struggle to survive if the work place is not inspiring and stimulating. As much as we need to contribute to the work I suppose work place also need to give room for development and growth. For some it is the challenge that they seek, while for others it is training. Because at the end of the day each individual of the organisation is a brand ambassador of the organisation. Sooner the organisation realises this the better as they have lot to achieve if the brand ambassadors are good.
Many organisations have benefited from this investment and that is why they have such strong corporate identity. The corporate culture has its own support system and somehow if they do the right things, they train all their staff to have leadership qualities and become problem solvers. The staff of the organisation gets a sense of belonging. The sense of belonging leads to loyalty. If they are part of a successful organisation it does become a prestigious issue. It boosts their morale and confidence. It reflects on their work output as well.
Most importantly, this confidence level does not just come from the superficial level. It is some thinking and work that is done in the inner self of each individual. And the sooner we realise that the better because the real work and decisions are done when we are reflecting. A healthier mind, a healthier employee, and all that mean a productive staff member. Each member contributes to the success of the organisation as there is no less important person in an organisation. Each staff member is an important link of the chain that makes the organisation. Due to the request of our listeners, we dedicated two episodes of the show for work place. This Monday it is going to be a new topic. Do tune in at 5 pm and reflect with us on our new topic.
